Roundup: ODU gets bye

Drexel No. 1

February 22, 2012|Daily Press reports

Thanks to Wednesday's action, the Colonial Athletic Association tournament has taken shape.

Old Dominion (19-11, 13-4) clinched the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye with a 65-60 overtime victory at Georgia State. Kent Bazemore had 19 points, including a crucial 3-pointer in OT, and Chris Cooper had 11 points and 17 rebounds for the Monarchs.

A 3-pointer by Jihad Ali, who led Georgia State with 20 points, cut the gap to one, but Nick Wright hit two free throws to give ODU a 63-60 edge. A Panthers miss and ODU dunk clinched the victory.

Drexel 78, JMU 61

Drexel (24-5, 15-2) ensured the tournament's top seed by pulling away from James Madison in Philadelphia.

The injury- and transfer-depleted Dukes — even their coach, Matt Brady, recently tore an Achilles' tendon when subbing for disabled players in practice — led 23-12 thanks to hot 3-point shooting before yielding to the Dragons, who won their 16th game in a row.

Northeastern upended George Mason in overtime in Boston as Jonathan Lee had 27 points and Kashief Edwards 22 for the Huskies. Ryan Pearson's 3-point attempt to tie missed near the buzzer for the Patriots, who were led by Mike Morrison's 19 points and Bryon Allen's 13 assists.

VCU 63, UNCW 59

VCU edged host UNC Wilmington behind Rob Brandenberg's 21 points. His two free throws with five seconds left clinched the victory. Keith Rendleman had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Seahawks.

George Mason will play at VCU on Saturday, with the winner taking the second seed and the loser going to No. 3. The CAA is hoping to get an at-large team into the NCAA tournament, but it is an iffy proposition.